Earth Day 50 with NYBG at Home

Plants are our greatest defense against climate change, but their survival is at risk. Climate change creates ripple effects that jeopardize the health of the planet in many ways.

Through photosynthesis, plants remove carbon dioxide form the atmosphere and produce the oxygen we breathe. Forests are carbon sinks, storing large amounts of carbon from the environment in living plants.

Northeastern forests are threatened by rising temperatures and decreased snowfall. Cold-hardy trees such as sugar maple cannot survive in warmer habitats and are displaced by invasive species.

Marshes and wetlands are important carbon sinks as well as buffers against flooding and storm events, but they are threatened by water pollution, invasive species, and shrinking habitats. Biologists estimate that a third to half of the country’s threatened or endangered species live in wetlands.

Shifts in climate affect plants' natural cycles (phenology). When interdependent plants and animals fall out of sync, it can disrupt entire ecosystems. Studies show that flowering plants are blooming earlier in the year as the climate changes. Lilacs are excellent candidates for climate studies because their growth is influenced primarily by temperature rather than day length like many other species.

Harmful pests and tree diseases spread quickly in a warmer climate. North American ash trees are increasingly threatened by the invasive emerald ash borer, an Asian beetle that proliferates at extremely high rates in hot summers.

NYBG scientists work to track the effects of climate change and conserve endangered habitats. Learn how you can help as a citizen scientist in the Earth Day webinars above.